Permission to drive into/through Italy
Has anyone had experience requesting and getting permission or an exception to be able to drive into and through Italy when renting outside of Italy?
Reading the fine print in the rental T&Cs, it seems certain cars (BMW, MB) are not allowed into Italy when rented outside of Italy (say Germany or France). After researching, it appears high incidence of "theft" (real or fake) and the cars disappearing to eastern europe or Russia was the reason for this rule. The language appears to indicate that its possible to get that exception waived, but wondering if anyone had this done successfully.
It seems that in theory there is nothing stopping you, other than by violating the terms your CC or Hertz CDW would not cover you if the car was stolen or even in an accident.
We were interested in driving a nice car on a one way from Munich to Spain going through Italy but most "major" seem to have this exception, and Sixt charges a $1500 one way fee.
Any feedback, a number to call, or alternatives (that dont involve taking the train or flying everywhere) are appreciated.